Thiruvananthapuram: Govt plans to reward adulteration whistleblowers

Thiruvananthapuram: The government is planning a ‘whistleblower system’, by introducing rewards to informers on adulterated food and ingredients, said Health Minister V S Sivakumar here on Saturday, inaugurating a seminar on Food Safety and Standards Act,2006. “It has become clear that right from salt to meat, fish and vegetables, adulteration has become common. It is not the retail traders who are indulging in malpractices but wholesalers and those who are bringing commodities from outside the state. But there are limitations for the Food Safety Commissioner and other officials to trace it. It is against this backdrop that a mechanism to engage the civil society also for better results is being probed,” the Minister said.

He also said that the State Government would initiate concrete steps to establish scientific abattoirs in the state, in view of the fact that many a case of food poisoning occurs due to processing of meat under unhygienic conditions. “By joining hands with the state veterinary varsity,the government will take the lead to make modern abattoirs a reality in the main Corporations and municipalities of the state,” he said.

Sivakumar also put forward an idea of linking tribals and the vast, isolated stretches of land for poultry and livestock development, and thereby ensuring the requirements of the state-owned Meat Products of India. “Since there are many constraints in promoting such activities in urban areas, scientific studies to tap interior pockets are needed,” he felt.

The Kerala government is planning a 'whistleblower system' by introducing rewards to informers on adulterated food.